


Invisible

by scholarlydragon



Category: Greek Mythology, Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Laundry Angst, Romance, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-10-03 15:16:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17286476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scholarlydragon/pseuds/scholarlydragon
Summary: Laundry difficulties lead to blurted truths.





	Invisible

**Author's Note:**

> With thanks to Jessy and Lightspeed Goddess
> 
> “Here is my secret. It’s quite simple.  
> One sees clearly only with the heart.  
> Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.”  
> -Antonie de Saint-Exupery  
> "The Little Prince"

“Aw, fuck!”

Startled by the outburst, Hades turned from the sink to face where Persephone stood at the kitchen island. She stood with one hand to her forehead, fingers clenched into her hair, the very picture of exasperated frustration. In her other hand… one of his shirts that he distinctly remembered had been white instead of pink when he had dropped it into the laundry hamper. Scattered on the counter in front of her were multiple reddish items of dubious original hue- and the culprit. A single red sock.

Rinsing the dish soap suds from his hands quickly and grabbing a towel to dry his arms up to his rolled up sleeves, Hades went over to her. With a tragic expression that would have been comical if she hadn’t been so clearly upset, Persephone looked down at the shirt clutched in her hands and then held it up to him.

“I missed a sock.”

Doing his best to stifle a smile, Hades took it from her gravely. “So it would seem.”

She squinted up at him, annoyance creeping into her voice. “Don’t laugh, Hades! It’s not funny. Look!” She ruffled through the laundry, displaying dyed shirt after dyed shirt. “It’s all ruined!”

He reached out and caught up her hand from the pile of clothes, setting down the shirt he held. “Sweetness, I can buy more shirts. It was just a mistake. Could have happened to anyone.” He drew her into a hug, pressing a kiss into her hair, doing his best to soothe her frustration.

“But it didn’t, did it?” she grumbled, embracing him, unwilling to pass up a moment of closeness despite her ill mood. “I’ve never seen you dye anything red.”

“Remind me to tell you about the time I ruined a load of Zeus’ polo shirts.” He smirked with a chuckle, “As long as he’s there when I tell you about it. He turns the most amusing shades.”

She laughed, as he intended, and lifted her head to look up at him. “I guess it’s a good thing I have other qualities to recommend me other than my skill with laundry.”

He grinned, caught up in the teasing gleam in her eyes, “I don’t think laundry needs to be high on the qualification list for a queen.”

His brain caught up with his mouth at the same moment she processed what he said.

“Um…”

He desperately floundered for something intelligent to say, but there was nothing. She stared up at him, eyes wide, as he quietly panicked. “You… want me to be queen?” She raised one eyebrow. “You know, Hades, as far as proposals go, this isn’t one that I ever quite imagined.”

“Cute.” He rolled his eyes. He gave up the desperate search for a retraction with a sigh. “The thought has… crossed my mind. I just- I can’t escape the feeling that it wouldn’t be fair to you,” he murmured, “to tether you here any more than I already have.”

“Tether?” She leaned her head back to look him in the eye, her gaze unimpressed. “Hades. Did I ever give you the impression that I was less than willing to be here? To be with you?”

“Well, no, but-”

“Why in Gaia’s name would you think I was tethered? Or that I would feel like I was?”

“The Underworld can’t be an easy place for you. Nothing much grows here. It’s not Olympus or the mortal realm.” Hades looked away, his heart wrenching. He knew she loved him. As he loved her. But he deeply wanted her to be where she could be happiest and the idea that she might not be fully content in the Underworld had been tormenting him for some time. He whispered, “I can’t ask you to take on responsibility for a place where you are not happy.”

Persephone reached out and cupped his cheek, bringing him back to face her. A gentle, earnest look filled her gaze. “It’s true that the Underworld is not the easiest place for me. However. There is one very significant reason that I will always choose to be here rather than any of the other realms.” She stroked his face gently. “I love you, Hades. I want to be with you. As long as I can do that, I don’t care about how easy anything else is or isn’t.”

“Kore, I…” he trailed off, words failing around the lump in his throat.

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “You know, I think I could tell you all day that I want to be with you, but I think you’d still overanalyze and fret. I think you’d still wonder if I really wanted to be by your side, to make the Underworld my home. So, I have an idea.” Pulling from his embrace and suddenly excited, Persephone seized his hand and tugged him into the living room adjacent to the kitchen. Hades followed in her wake, reeling a bit from the rapid shifts in mood.

Directing him to sit on the couch, she clambered behind him, nearly draped over his back. Confused, Hades hunched a bit, craning back over one shoulder to look at her.

“Kore, what-”

“Ssh,” she interrupted, “I’m doing something.” Propping her elbows onto his shoulders, she unceremoniously tucked her hands over his face, covering his eyes. “Now. I’m going to ask you a question.”

“And I need my eyes covered for this- why exactly?” She was silent for a long moment and he grinned, despite the anxiety roiling in his gut. “Are you making a face?”

“No!” Her response was too quick and he laughed. “Hey!” She thumped him gently on the top of his head with one hand. “Serious question here!”

“Okay, okay,” he gave in, still chuckling, “What is the question?”

“I want you to forget about all the worries you have about us and just focus on what you know. I think you’re looking too closely at things that don’t matter. What do you see? What does your heart tell you?”

Her warm softness pressed against his back. He could feel her breathing. Her words held him near hypnotized.

“Forget who we are for a moment, Hades. Forget that I’m the goddess of Spring. Forget that you are the god of the dead. Forget that you are king, even. Forget anything except that I’m me and that you’re you. Persephone and Hades. Nothing else.” Her breath tickled against his ear. “What do you see?”

Hades did his best to follow her directions, letting thoughts of their past and their possible future slip to the side, focusing on the reality of her. Her warm weight against his back, her sweet earnestness in this notion that had seized her. Her presence in his home, in his bed, filling the echoing space with laughter and mischief. The Underworld was always cold, but she had brought a warmth he had never imagined. His formerly lonely existence stitched through with pink thread, creating strength and durability in a fabric he had once thought frayed beyond repair.

A smile spread over his face. “Light. Life. Chaos and laughter into every corner.” He reached up and took her hands gently in his own, lifting them from his face. He pressed a kiss to her palm, tucking her other hand against his chest. 

“Love.”

Her forehead rested against the back of his head, her breath gusting over the fine hairs on the back of his neck as she whispered, “That is what matters, Hades. That is what I care about. I will gladly take on whatever responsibilities are involved in being by your side, and I’ve come to love this cold realm because you are here. But, I don’t care that you’re a king. I don’t care if I become queen. The title is…” he felt her shake her head. “It doesn’t matter to me. That’s not who you are. Who you are is what I love. Who you are is who I’d stand proudly beside for all the realms to see.”

She moved gently, slipping around into his lap, her small hands wrapping around the back of his neck, cradling his head. His heart lurched at the sight of the silver tear tracks on her flushed cheeks. He hadn’t realized she’d been crying. Hades brushed away the tears with a gentle touch. “ _ Kore _ …” he said hoarsely, words failing.

“I love you, Aidoneus,” she whispered, “Always and forever. I want to be your wife. Would you marry me?”

Hades stared at her, caught as the moment stretched. Images flashed through his mind of Persephone regal as a queen, a dark crown in her fuchsia hair. The tiny Spring goddess his equal in every way. Treasured and cherished for all time. There could only be one answer.

Raising one hand, he clenched it into a fist briefly, his power flowing. Opening his hand, he revealed a glistening gem. Clouds of warm pink and cool blue, captured within the stone, threw back the light in refracted sparkles.

“Sorry,” he said, a little sheepishly, “I can’t make the ring itself. But if you like the stone, we can get it set-”

His words were cut off with a grunt as Persephone threw herself forward, her lips fusing to his in a frantic kiss. Drawing back only when the need for air became too great, he asked mischievously, “I’ll take that as a yes?”

Persephone rolled her eyes, an enormous grin on her face. “I asked you first, Hades. You can’t answer a question with a question.”

Chuckling, Hades reached up and combed his fingers into her hair, tucking the strands behind her ear. All her love was in her bright eyes, as much as he knew his own had to be showing. “Yes,” he whispered, “Be my wife, if I can be your husband.”

Persephone smiled, a radiant glow transforming her face. She echoed, “Be my husband, if I can be your wife.” She fell into his arms, their lips sealing the promise then and there. Forever.

___________________

 

 

Persephone’s ring:   http://belalta.com/Pink-Blue-Montana-Sapphire-Engagement-Ring-171-Carat-Sapphire-Antique-Engraved-18K-White-Gold-Band-Ring-WMS11874

 

 

 

 

 

 


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